VALLEY OF FLOWERS Coordinates: 30°44′00″N 79°38′00″E Best Season: 15th June to 15 September Garhwal Himalaya - Uttarakhand Valley of Flowers National Park is an Indian national park, located at a height in West Himalaya. It is renowned for its meadows of endemic alpine flowers and the variety of flora found there. It is located in Uttarakhand state. This richly diverse area is also home to rare and endangered animals, including the Asiatic black bear, snow leopard, brown bear and blue sheep. The gentle landscape of the Valley of Flowers National Park complements the rugged mountain wilderness of Nanda Devi National Park to the east. Together they encompass a unique transition zone between the mountain ranges of the Zanskar and Great Himalaya. The park stretches over an expanse of 87.50 km². Both parks are encompassed in the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (223,674 ha) which is further surrounded by a buffer zone (5,148.57 km²).This Reserve is in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves since 2004. The pristine water of Pushpawati River divides this enchanting valley into two parts. Capture thick dew drops on the vivid flowers, listen to the chirping of birds and enjoy the salubrious air of the Himalayas. While on expedition to Mt. Kamet this Valley was introduced to the world as the Valley of Flowers by Frank S, Smith, a mountaineer, explorer and botanist who camped here for several weeks in the monsoon of 1937.The legend is that Hanuman collected “Sanjeevani” herb from this valley to revive Lakshman. Travel Fact: Distance from Delhi: 505 kms + 17 kms (trek) Best season: July to October Nearest Airport: Jolly grant Airport, 20 km from Dehradun.(Regular flights from Delhi) Nearest Rail Head: Haridwar (regular trains from Delhi/Mumbai) http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ For more info kindly mail at: [email protected] Suggested Day by Day Itinerary Day 01: Delhi -- Haridwar to Rishikesh (1 hr / 25 kms) Board an overnight train from Delhi and reach Haridwar, Pick up from Haridwar railway station and transfer to Rishikesh. Stopover in a hotel for freshen up. Later drive to Pipalkoti ( 215 kms / 6-7 hrs. Lunch enroute at Srinagar. Dinner & Overnight stay at Hotel. Day 02: Pipalkoti to Govindghat to (Kanjila) Ghangaria. Bed tea/coffee and depart from hotel at 0500 hrs, with a packed breakfast, by road to Govindghat (approx. 62kms). Govindghat is the point from where the trek to the “Valley of Flowers” begins. From Govindghat, we trek about 12 kms to reach our base camp at Kanjila. Packed lunch, en route. (Kanjila is about 1 km short of Ghangaria). Dinner and over night stay at Kanjila base camp (3048 mts). Day 03: (Kanjila) Ghangaria to Valley of flowers to Ghangaria. Breakfast at camp and today we trek (approx: 10 kms) to the Valley of Flowers (altitude approx. 3700 mts). Hot lunch served at the valley. Return to Ghangaria (approx: 5 kms) for the night. Overnight stay at Kanjila base camp (3050 mts). Day 04: (Kanjila) Ghangaria: Trek to Lake Hemkund. Breakfast at camp. Guided trek (approx: 6 kms /4 hrs) to lake Hemkund Sahib (altitude approx: 4329 meters). Return for overnight stay at base camp at Kanjila (3048 mts). Day 05: Ghangaria to Govindghat to Rudraprayag. Breakfast at camp and trek back to Govindghat (approx 13 kms/4-5 hrs). Packed lunch en route. Transfer by road to Rudraprayag (approx 132kms/5 hrs). Overnight at Rudraprayag. Optional tour: Shri Badrinath Temple- (add one more night and costing can be done) Day 06: Rudraprayag to Haridwar. Early breakfast and depart to Haridwar (Approx. 06hrs drive). Arrive at Haridwar and stay in a hotel near River Ganga. Evening enjoy the Aarti. Dinner & over night stay at hotel. Day 07: Haridwar to Delhi. Early breakfast and depart to Haridwar Railway station to board train for Delhi. -----Tour ends----- For more info kindly mail at: [email protected] .